Looe Gin Navy Strength

Looe is a beautiful seaside resort in southeast Cornwall and just off the seafront at West Looe, the town is intersected by the River Looe, is Looe Island, once a site for pilgrims and now a sanctuary for rare plants and wildlife. For gin afficionados Looe is the home of Copperfish Distillery, an enterprising distillery that is making waves from its quayside distillery with a range of spirits including moonshine, gin, and rum.

I came across the distillery when I bought a bottle of their Original Dry Gin, which I reviewed some time ago, and I need not repeat the story of their development. Just follow the link! In my explorations of the world spawned by the ginaissance I have developed a fascination and taste for Navy Strength gins and as Copperfish produce a Looe Gin Navy Strength it was inevitable that I would purchase a bottle from my usual supplier, Drinkfinder UK.

With an ABV of 57% it comes in a 50cl bottle, presumably to protect the innocent or unwary, but there is nothing bashful about its design. Like the Original Dry the label is deliberately reminiscent of a saucy seaside postcard, featuring a mermaid posing in front of the Looe seascape. It is certainly eye-catching if not particularly politically correct in these sensitive times. A blue circle to the left of the mermaid’s right shoulder tells me that the bottle contains Navy Strength.

The label at the rear uses a pale yellow background to good effect, making the verbiage, mainly in black and blue print, easy to read. My bottle is number 251 from batch 1. The bottle itself is cylindrical, made from clear glass, with a flat shoulder, medium sized neck and a silver cap with an artificial stopper.

Navy strength gins are normally based on the recipe of one of the distillery’s existing gins only with the volume turned to eleven and Copperfish have followed this route, basing their offering on their Original Dry Gin. Handcrafted in small batches in their bespoke 500 litre pot still, it uses a grain spirit and botanicals including juniper, coriander seed, orange peel, cinnamon bark, lemon peel, Angelica root and orris bark.

In the glass, surprisingly clear for its strength, it was just what I had hoped for, an intense hit of juniper with vibrant citric notes and long and dry finish. Lovely! If you are in to Navy Strength gins, it is definitely one to look out for.

Until the next time, cheers!

Silent Pool Rare Citrus Gin

Although I am more a fan of traditional London Dry, juniper forward gins than of contemporary style gins, the team at Silent Pool Distillers from Albury near Guildford do make a tasty spirit. I had tried and reviewed their signature gin many moons ago and I was intrigued to see what their Rare Citrus Gin, which Santa had very kindly given me, was like.

One of the striking things about Silent Pool is the beauty of their bottle design and this is no exception. Instead of the blue of their Silent Pool Gin, the bottle is orange with the same design of botanicals on its circular main body. The shoulder is rounded, leading to a medium sized neck and a glass stopper, which is remarkably robust as I dropped it. Labelling is minimal, just “Silent Pool” on an orange band on the neck and some basic information, including that it is “distilled from grain” in white at the bottom of the bottle. What it lacks in information, this 50cl bottle containing a spirit with an ABV of 43% more than makes up for in style.

The pressure to find space in the crowded marketplace spawned by the ginaissance, has encouraged enthusiastic distillers to search for wonderful and exotic flavours with which to tickle our palates and find an edge. Unsurprisingly, the inspiration behind the Rare Citrus Gin came from a love of all things citrus but, more particularly, to introduce some new taste sensations that perhaps their topers have not experienced before. The Silent Pool’s citrus suppliers, based in Portugal, have around 360 varieties of citrus and the team sampled dozens to find the perfect combination that would provide a complex gin.

They settled on four. The first was Buddha’s hand or, to give it its botanical name, Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis, a curiously shaped citron whose zesty fruit is segmented into finger-like sections, rather like those seen on statues of Buddha, hence its name. The second is Natsu dai dai, which is thought to be a hybrid between sour orange or pummelo and mandarin. Growing to the size of a grapefruit when ripe with a yellowish orange rind, its flavour is refreshingly bitter and sweet, rather reminiscent of Seville orange marmalade. The third is Hirado Buntan, a cultivar which originated on Hirado Island in Japan in 1910. It is a large fruit, bright yellow when ripe with a flavour that is a pleasant mix of sugar and acid with hints of bitterness. The quartet is made up by Green Seville Oranges.

With all that gorgeous citrus, I feared that it would overwhelm the spirit but, surprisingly and all credit to the distiller’s craft, it is still a remarkably juniper-forward tipple, its earthiness and piney notes counterbalancing and bringing under control the sweet and bitter tones from the citrus that, initially, threatens to take charge. It is a complex and wonderful gin that showcases some of the more exotic citrons but in a way that will satisfy even the most critical traditionalist.

I could not resist a second glass.

Until the next time, cheers!

Gin Aux Agrumes

The clue is in its name. La Distillerie de Monaco, Monaco’s only distillery, was originally founded by Philip Culazzo to produce L’Orangerie liqueur, but the principality is famous for three things, motor racing, gin palaces, and its citrus production, the latter once the mainstay of its local economy. Recognising the opportunity the local, high quality citrus offered to make a mark on the ginaissance, Philip added Gin Aux Agrumes to his distillery’s portfolio. They also produce a vodka.

If you love citrus, especially lemon, then this, the fifth of my selection from a recent trip to Constantine Store, home of Drinkfinder UK, will be right down your boulevard. It is a love letter to citric notes with bergamot, bitter and sweet orange, citron, grapefruit, lemon, and lime all having a role to play. To ensure that the result is not a zesty, sickly concoction, balance is provided by an undertone of juniper, ably assisted by ginger, lemon thyme (yes, more lemon), and Szechuan pepper. There may be more hiding in the undergrowth, but these are the main players.   

On the nose there is the reassuring aroma of juniper, but the citrus notes also jostle for recognition. Sweet orange is very prominent, but the zestier, more bitter citric elements do a good job in keeping it in its place. There is very much a “come and get me” feeling to its smell, and it would be rude to refuse. In the glass, the spirit is clear with an ABV of 40%, and is much more bitter than I imagined it would be, juniper, ginger, wonderfully peppery Szechuan pepper, and the more bitter citric elements putting the sweeter notes in their place.   

The addition of a premium tonic makes for an astonishing transformation. Whereas neat each element seems to be jostling for position, the tonic works in unison with the juniper to settle everything down and where there was muddle and confusion, all becomes harmonious. It becomes a marvellously smooth, refreshing gin, ideal for an early evening reviver (sun optional) and knocks other citrus-heavy gins that I have tasted into a cocked hat. It has clearly been designed as a gin for a G&T and it does its job remarkably well and reinforces how underrated the power of juniper is underrated in some circles.

Of course, you can only appreciate the merits of a gin once you have opened the bottle and to enhance the chances that it will be a bottle of Gin aux Agrumes that you will select from the groaning shelves, Philip has put in an extraordinary amount of care into its look. It is made of clear glass, tapering upwards from a square base, a short but steep shoulder, and a short neck which leads to a wooden stopper. The labelling at the front is minimal, consisting of just the name of the distillery just below the shoulder and the name of the spirit, the size of the contents and its ABV at the base.

There is a reason for that as it maximises the space for the image on the rear of the back labelling to be seen. And what a lovely image it is too, a beautiful painting of the Monegasque coastline visible through a citrus tree. The colours are vibrant and the style of the painting is reminiscent of the 1930s railway posters. It is clever and reinforces the impression that this is a serious and classy gin.

Until the next time, cheers!

Blackwoods Navy Strength Vintage Gin

In a time when shrinkflation seems particularly rife with distilleries reducing the ABV of even their long established products – stand up, Tanqueray – it is pleasing to come across one who are not only prepared to turn the dial up a notch or two but are also selling their spirit at a comparatively reasonable price. Searching the shelves of gins at Constantine Stores, the headquarters of Drinkfinder UK, for a navy strength gin, I could not resist Blackwoods Navy Strength Vintage Gin which boasts an ABV of 60%.

This eye-wateringly high ABV has been chosen, they say, to reflect the origins of the gin which lie in the Shetland Islands which lies on 60 degrees of latitude. The marketing spiel on the Blackwoods website talks of their gin being one with a Scottish accent and that they use native Scottish botanicals, but there is a distinct reluctance to disclose the history of the brand or where precisely it is distilled. The labelling on the bottle says that it is “distilled in Scotland for Distil Company Ltd, PA16 0DT”. However, Blackwoods registered address seems to be in Watling Street in London. Very curious.

A bit more digging reveals that Blackwood Distillery was founded on Shetland in July 2002 producing products such as Muckle Flugga whisky, Jago’s cream liqueur, and Blackwoods gin and vodka. The distillery, though, went into administration in May 2008 and the vodka and gin brands were sold to Blavod Extreme Spirits. Are they associated with the company now producing and marketing the Blackwoods gin range? Who knows? Perhaps someone will enlighten me.

While it might be the spirit of Shetland rather than the reality, every year Blackwoods select native Scottish botanicals that have thrived during that year, making each year’s vintage distinctive and unique. The 2021 vintage, which my bottle is, features kelp, water mint, and sea buckthorn, giving it a distinctly nautical feel. There are oodles of juniper holding the spirit together while the citric notes are provided by a quartet of fruits, grapefruit, lime, lemon, and orange, while fennel and liquorice bring a bit of sweetness to the mix and black pepper a bit of bite.

Neat it takes no prisoners but with a premium tonic it is tamed down to reveal a surprisingly complex and well-balanced spirit that comes with a kick. It is not as subtle as some Navy strength gins that I have tried but the judicious choice of botanicals makes for surprisingly smooth drink with a pleasant and prolonged aftertaste, almost akin to that of a brandy.    

The tall, slim bottle is a pale green in colour, circular with ridges along the body making it easy to handle, bulging out slightly as it leads to rounded shoulders and a short neck. A copper coloured top which is, surprisingly, a screwcap and “Blackwoods” embossed at the top of the neck completes the look. The labelling makes good use of black and copper with predominantly white print. Its height makes it stand out on the shelf and the ABV/price combination is irresistible for the adventurous at heart.

It might be a brand of some mystery, but the gin certainly speaks for itself.

Until the next time, cheers!

Loveday Kissing Gate Gin

When I am walking in the countryside, I much prefer to cross from one field to another through a kissing gate rather than over a cattle grid. The term “kissing gate” has been in use since the 16^th century and describes a gate, usually sited in a gap in the hedgerow, consisting of a semi-circular, square or V-shaped enclosure on one side and a hinged gate that swings between two shutting posts. It allows one person at a time to pass through but presents an impenetrable barrier to livestock.

The name derives from the fact that the hinged part touches or kisses both sides of the enclosure rather than being securely latched on one side like a normal gate. It does, of course, allow courting couples to steal a kiss as one waits for the other to manoeuvre their way through the gate. In these inclusive times, kissing gates are rather frowned upon as they are well nigh impossible for wheelchair users and people with prams and bicycles to use and, to comply with the criteria established by BS5709 new kissing gates must be wide enough to allow two people to pass through at a time.

Nevertheless, they are a distinctive feature of the English countryside and its hedgerows, especially around the Falmouth area of Cornwall, and it is from these that an enterprising small Penryn-based distillery, Loveday Distilling, has drawn inspiration for its Loveday Kissing Gate Gin. This is the third in their series of gins, I have reviewed their Falmouth Dry Gin and Golden Hour Gin elsewhere, and Daisy, Chloe, and Ruth have come up with an intriguing gin in a stylish yet minimalist bottle.

Circular, made of clear glass, rounded shoulders, short neck leading to wide lips and a wooden stopper with real cork, it makes for a distinctive, if understated, presence on a gin shelf. The label at the front is long and thin, providing the minimum of information but telling me that my bottle is from Batch no 2, was distilled by Daisy and has an ABV of 40%. The rear label is larger, more informative, and has impressions of botanicals on the other side which can be seen through the clear bottle when viewing it from the front.

The pedigree of the brains behind Loveday is the catering industry in general and cheffing in particular. This sensitivity to and awareness of flavour combinations serves them in good stead for the production of tasty and distinctive spirits – they also produce organic, oak-rested rum. The signature botanicals in their Kissing Gate gins are all to be found in the hedgerows and woods of the area, chamomile, celery-scented lovage, and fresh gorse.    

On the nose it has a delicate, floral aroma and the clear spirit does not disappoint when poured into the glass. The rhythm section of this gin is provided by bright citric notes and pine, allowing the delicate and fresher notes provided by the herbaceous botanicals a backdrop against which to strut their stuff. There is a distinctive sweetness and coconut feel to the drink and it signs off with a long-lasting, sweet celery finish.

As a gin, it is notably sweeter than their other two offerings and neatly complements the range rather than standing on one or the other’s feet. It is definitely refreshing and addictively, especially with a quality premium tonic and a slice of lemon as garnish. For those who like their gins with a herbal finish, it is definitely one to seek out.

Until the next time, cheers!